Keeping rifle in the white

[nemovir]

I had my Kibler .32 smr for several month now.  Nothing wrong with it, but it is so long and awkward.  It's light, but I shake when I try to it shoot offhand.  Been dryfiring only since and believe I gotten used to it. I haven't finish it yet, but I want to fire it.
Is it ok to shoot it in the white?  I don't mean a few times, but multiple times.     Even though I have the chemicals to finish, I have gotten used to it being in the white.  thinking about keeping that way.

 

[smylee grouch]

I have 1 or 2 that I have fired a couple thousand times in the white or as they say in the patina. 

[Mike_StL]

Agree with Smylee..  I have a rifle that I left the barrel in the white.  My Bess is still with a shiny barrel.  Most military guns were left highly polished.

[MuskratMike]

Mine has Jim's aging patina solution on it. Love the look, go ahead and shoot it as is but you will love the look of the aged look.

[nemovir]

I meant leaving the stock unfinished as well as the barrel.

[Eric Krewson]

Leave the stock unfinished and it will look about as pretty and old hoe handle out in the barn after a year or so plus it will have a lot of soot and patching lube inbedded in the wood from your dirty hands. It will also soak up water like a sponge and be hard to dry out.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Finish the wood...leave the metal bright, if that's turns you on.  But finish the wood.  Good lord.

I left the barrel and lock of my Chambers Virginia 'amoury bright', and the barrel has acquired a nice grey patina.  We don't have high humidity to deal with out her on the left coast, so rust is not an issue.  Out here, a rusty gun is seriously neglected.

But the wood needs to be sealed , and finished.

[Bigmon]

It's yours isn't it?  Do what ever ya want to with it. You mentioned it is long, cut some off of it. It's yours.

[thecapgunkid]

D. Taylor...But the wood needs to be sealed , and finished.

Yup.  If you don't seal that wood....well, seal the wood.

[smokinbuck]

We had a gentleman that shot with us for 20 years, shot a Hawken style rifle that he built. Never finished the wood or metal, even mounted the barrel to the stock with hat looked like a whole roll of "masking tape". Looked like pure $#*! but he out shot us a lot of times.

[flinchrocket]

To me, finishing the wood is the fun part of building a rifle,that's when the wood really shows its beauty. I can't even imagine not finishing one.

[little joe]

Kebler uses pretty good wood. Why would you want not want to bring out the bueaty of the wood. If you need advice on some nice finish, ask.

[hanshi]

Life's too short to shoot/hunt with an ugly gun.  Finish that stock so it'll look like it's supposed to.

[nemovir]

Fine, will finish it.  Got a question, been watching Kibler’s serie of YouTube videos.  I had bought the iron nitrate and Parmalyn sealer along with the rifle, but I notice he used Tried and True oil varnish.  Is this necessary, he doesn’t sell it on his site?

[WadePatton]

Fine, will finish it.  Got a question, been watching Kibler’s serie of YouTube videos.  I had bought the iron nitrate and Parmalyn sealer along with the rifle, but I notice he used Tried and True oil varnish.  Is this necessary, he doesn’t sell it on his site?

There are dozens of good ways to finish a gunstock, and 10 dozen threads on it.  Here's the last one: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=57490.0